Krishna, the dark form that steals the mind
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
हरे त्यासि रे देखतां ताप माया । भजा रे भजा यादव योगिराया ॥1॥
जया कामिनी लुब्धल्या सहस्रसोळा । सुकुमार या गोपिका दिव्य बाळा ।
शोभे मध्यभागीं कळा चंद्रकोटी । रुपा मीनली साजिरी माळकंठीं ॥2॥
असे यादवां श्रेष्ठ हा चक्रपाणी । जया वंदिती कोटि तेहतीस तीन्ही ।
महाकाळ हे कांपती दैत्य ज्यासी । पाहा सांवळें रूप हें पापनासी ॥3॥
कसीं पाउलें साजिरीं कुंकुमाचीं। कसी वीट हे लाधली दैवांची।
जया चिंतितां अिग्न हा शांति नीवे। धरा मानसीं आपला देहभाव ॥4॥
मुनी देखतां मूख हें चित्त ध्याय। देह मांडला भाव हा बापमाय।
तुक्या लागलें मानसीं देवपीसें । चित्त चोरटें सांवळें रूप कैसें ॥5॥
असे नांदतु हा हरी सर्वजीवीं । असे व्यापुनी अिग्न हा काष्ठ तेवीं ।
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
At the sight of Him, all pain and illusion are destroyed. Worship Him, worship the Lord of the Yadavas, the King of yogis. Sixteen thousand women were enamored of Him, the divine, tender cowherd girls. He shines in their midst like ten million moons, adorned with a garland upon His beautiful throat. He is the greatest among the Yadavas, the Discus-bearer, whom the thirty-three crore gods revere. Even mighty Death and the demons tremble before Him. Behold this dark form that destroys all sin. How lovely are His feet, touched with vermillion. How fortunate is the brick that has received Him. By meditating on Him, even fire becomes peaceful. Hold His form in the mind; let the body-sense be His. The sages, upon seeing His face, are absorbed in meditation. Their whole being, in devotion, becomes both father and mother. Says Tuka, the madness of God has seized my mind. How my chitta is stolen by this dark-complexioned thief. This Hari dwells in all living beings, pervading them as fire pervades wood.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
At the sight of him all pain and illusion are destroyed. Worship him, worship the Lord of the Yadavas, the King of yogis. Sixteen thousand women were drawn to him, the tender, divine cowherd girls. He shines in their midst like ten million moons, a lovely garland on his throat. He is the greatest of the Yadavas, the bearer of the discus, whom the thirty-three crore gods honor. Even great Death and the demons tremble before him. Look at this dark form that destroys all sin. How lovely are his feet, marked with vermillion. How fortunate is the brick that has received him. By meditating on him, even fire grows cool and still. Hold his form in the mind; let the body-sense be his. The sages, seeing his face, sink into meditation; their whole being, in love, becomes father and mother to him. Tuka says: the madness of God has seized my mind. How my heart is stolen by this dark-complexioned thief. This Hari lives in all beings, filling them as fire fills wood.
What it means
Tukaram calls people to worship Krishna by showing how everything bends toward him. The gopis, the crores of gods, even Death and the demons, all are drawn or made to tremble before the dark form that destroys sin. He moves from this cosmic awe to a tender intimacy: lovely feet on the brick, fire growing calm at the thought of him, sages dissolving into meditation when they see his face. Then he turns it on himself and confesses the "madness of God," calling Krishna a thief who has stolen his heart. The last line lifts it back out: this same Krishna is no distant idol but the life dwelling in every being, as hidden and total as fire inside wood.
Krishna Leela
Poems celebrating Krishna's birth, childhood, and divine play.
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